Archive for November, 2009

If you’ve never ridden on the DC Metro let me give you a little tip: the doors on the metro are not like elevator doors. In fact, there’s even a pleasant woman’s voice recorded and looped in the metro to let you know. If you try to race into a metro car as the doors are closing and your purse, child, hand, luggage, stroller etc gets caught on the OUTSIDE, while you are on the INSIDE – THE DOORS WILL NOT OPEN. That is exactly what the recorded lady’s voice means: there is no sensor on the doors and once they are set to shut, they shut.

To warn you that the doors are about to close, they make a ding-ding-ding sound and a voice tells you “Please step back. Doors closing.” Guess what happens then? Right.

Now, there is clearly some sort of sensor that signals a light or something to the – conductor? pilot? – person who operates the train to indicate that a door isn’t fully closed. They open back up, the nice recording tells you again to “Please step back. Doors closing” and you have a moment of relief to gather your shit and get inside.

I have to assume that if your scarf, or purse strap, or maybe even the hand of your preshus child that you are carelessly dragging behind gets caught in the doors, it might not be large enough to signal that the door is ajar. I don’t know for sure. That would suck, though. Also, HEED THE DINGING AND THE WARNING.

These are the things I’ve seen stuck on the outside, behind closed doors, while their owners, fretting, are on the inside:

-a briefcase

-a large piece of wheeled luggage

-a jacket

-a backpack

-AN ARM

-A FOOT

-(almost) a BABY STROLLER

I don’t think any of this is funny, necessarily, as I’ve also darted in at some point to avoid waiting 15 minutes for the next train. I also don’t think it’s funny when someone trips, or accidentally bumps a wall. Basically, I find no humor in other people being embarrassed. I’ve been embarrassed before, it’s not a good feeling. But I do have to admit that I was a little bit amused this morning when the well coifed man with his Movado watch, Burberry umbrella, and impeccably tailored suit fretted and pulled, flushed and blushing while his wheeled briefcase sat on the platform behind the closed metro door.

The doors opened, of course, and he pulled his belongings inside, let out a big sigh and pulled his jacket down with force in order to regain his composure. He looked a little embarrassed, but mostly annoyed as though the metro was out to get him, personally.

It has been a real struggle lately to get myself motivated to go to the gym. I’m averaging about 3 times a week and it’s not easy. I’m just so – depressed isn’t the right word, that’s too intense but – blue. I feel blue. Work and dog and money and house and money and bills and Christmas and money and timing and moving and future and I should host a radio show title All Stress! All the time!

Except really, my life is pretty damn great. It’s stressful right now, but great. It would be greatest if we didn’t have to worry about every piece of mail in the mailbox and watching the calendar and oh shit what’s due today. But, you know, mostly? Pretty damn great.

Even knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to push through and be enthusiastic and motivated and really? The gym has never been my “escape” from stress. I am way more motivated to go and work out way more intensely when life is easier. Always have.

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I’ve been thinking about writing a book, but I don’t know that I really have the skill to write a book, nor the stories to fill a book, nor any clue as to how to actually start the process. Also, that energy and feeling blue stuff? See that.

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I do not think that Robert Pattison is hot. At all. You want some hot vampire action? Talk to me about Jason Patrick and Keifer Sutherland. P.S. Vampy fangirls? Pshaw! We were so there first, kiddos.

Seriously, I don’t have Photoshop on this computer at “work” and it is really, really hard to modify my header with Paint. Clearly, it’s not working. At least you can see my name now, in all it’s distorted, pixelated, missized glory.

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I have that networking meeting this afternoon and I’m not really looking forward to it. Maybe I should be, I dunno. Either way, I’m going to be there. Not getting paid.

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I just bit into an apple and it’s kind of mealy. Don’t you hate that?

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In two weeks we’ll be headed to Seattle to visit HP’s family. I booked us a hotel room using my Marriott points from about a zillion years ago. It made me feel like I contributed.

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This morning I was running about a half hour late and I guess that is when all the crazies come out in full force. First, I saw TWO women dressed like hookers on the metro. Not together – at two separate stations. Then there was the wacky conducter that sort of sang every piece of information he gave us (e.g. “A train in front of us! There’s a train in front of us! Traaaaaain iiiiiin froooooont of us!”) Then when I got on the orange line it was so, so quiet. Crazy quiet. No one was having any conversations, no one’s music was playing too loud in their headphones, no one turned the pages of a newspaper. It was weird. Finally, when I got in the elevator at the office building a fat man was blowing into his Starbucks coffee cup – presumably to cool it down – but he was blowing into the lid and it was making a whistling sound. And then he was out of breath from doing it because he was so fat.

I can’t decide if I should get out of bed on time tomorrow morning or not.

Does everyone fantasy house-hunt? I can’t resist the Craigslist classifieds and have spent a good deal of time this morning fantasy house hunting.

Great split level home with updated kitchen and dining rm. All stainless steel appliances, very large private fenced back yard with mtn views and room for your dogs to run and lots of room for your RV’s/boats. Large deck for all your entertainment needs, 2 bdrms up, Master bdrm down with large walkin closets and bath, Family room in ground level walkout basement, shed and much more. Located just around the corner from shopping, businesses and highway I-25 access. Animals welcome! No Covenants!

I sent the link to HP with a very subtle email, “Are we there yet?”

The meeting I had here on Friday went just fine but I’m sensing that nothing is going to come of it. I continue to look at this gig as interim and that’s fine. It’s pretty dull around here anyway. Currently the time is 12:21 in the afternoon and I have literally not had a conversation with anyone yet today. In fact, the only time I’ve actually spoken out loud was when I rubbed HP’s back and told him “it’s wake up time” before I left and then a brief “thank you” for the girl who held the door for me this morning. On the one hand, that’s kind of fucked up. On the other hand, meh.

I did have a successful phone interview on Monday that has led to a face to face interview scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Tomorrow afternoon I have a networking meeting at the recruiter’s office, and I’m currently being presented for a short term contract to cover someone’s maternity leave. I don’t even know what I’m routing for anymore.

Actually, that’s kind of not true. I guess what I’m really hoping for is that HP gets a job offer in Colorado that offers relocation, and I simultaneously get this short term contract that goes until April, and I bank enough money between now and April to get caught up, and then we move and I find a great job in Colorado and then WE DON’T MOVE AGAIN FOR A REALLY, REALLY LONG TIME. That’s what I’m truly hoping happens. Of course, any decent paying opportunities for me will be cause for elation, so I’m not hoping something doesn’t come through.* I guess I’m saying I want options.

HP has a bit of a head cold which means that I’m exhausted. I’ve been up since 3 and spent those hours until the alarm went off saying some variation of “Babe, roll over.”

When he sleeps on his back – oh the snoring! Having a head cold just exacerbates the problem. Usually I nudge him and he’ll automatically roll over onto his stomach: problem solved! Every once in a while, though, he just refuses. I mean, literally, in his sleep he will tell me “No way!” or, one time, just shake his head vehemently back and forth to indicate that he was not, under any circumstances, going to roll over. So there.

It’s still pouring cold rain around here and my plan tonight is to make some chicken noodle soup, grab a blanket, and spend the night snuggling in front of the tv. I can’t think of a better, rainy Friday night. I’m ready for the weekend!

Oh, so that awesome interview I had? The guy emailed me to tell me that I did kick ass and would be perfect for the job description! Also, they are no longer sure that they want to fill the role as described and that I should contact them in a few weeks. Great, I’ll get right on that. I spoke with another recruiter yesterday (I’m now working with THREE) and she’s sending my resume and writing samples to a hiring manager today. I’m also going to meet with the President of the company where I’m temp-ing at 3 today and see what I can do to turn this into a full time gig. Not the grunt, temp work I’m doing; for an actual marketing job in their marketing department. Just to clarify.

So….sure. Hopefully more news on that coming soon.

With that, I have nothing to report other than I have completed the grocery list for the Thanksgiving menu, I should get to see my nephew* this weekend (YAY!!), and tomorrow night is guys’ night so there will be much video game playing in the man room. I will be in the living room watching the episode of Private Practice that I DVR’d last night and House reruns.

*he’s not technically my nephew since he’s my cousin’s son. I guess that makes him my first cousin, once removed? Anyway, I’m “Auntie Amy” and therefore I will just refer to him as my nephew because I want to and there’s nothing you can do about it so just deal with it. kthx. Also, he is the cutest, squishiest, most perfect-est 6 week old baby in the history of babies! LOVE!

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AMYELLA

Amyella (pronounced Amy-ella) is a pseudonym for Amy Levitt, a fitness and health food fanatic and a beach girl at heart. She has been sharing her sometimes nonsensical thoughts and self-amusing stories online since 2002 and currently spends a good deal of her time wrangling her 90 pound Rottweiler and 60 pound Boxer. Which is quite a show.The origin of the name Amyella.